The former Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Erwin Lanc has been recognised for his significant contributions towards Uganda’s health and education sectors.
The Diamond Jubilee Medal was delivered to Mr. Lanc today by the Senior Presidential Advisor, Mr. Peter Abaine at his Private home in Vienna city, Austria, following Uganda’s Independence Day Celebrations, that took place on 9th October, 2024.
In particular, the 94 year-old former politician was recognized for his donations of medical equipment and his support in the establishment of the practice-oriented European Science and Technology University (ESAS) in Uganda.
Upon receiving the medal, Mr. Lanc said: “I only did what needed to be done – as a social democrat and a human being.”
Mr. Erwin Lanc’s fact file:
Mr. Lanc was born on 17th May, 1930.
He is a former Austrian bank employee and politician, studied at the University of Vienna and worked at the Ministry of social affairs from 1949 to 1955.
In 1959, he joined the Vienna- based Zentralsparkasse. In 1966, he became Chairman of the SPO in the Margareten district of Vienna.
In 1973, Mr. Lanc joined the government as the Minister of Transport. In 1977 he became Minister of the Interior, and from 1983 to 1985, he also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
In 1985 at a time, Minister of Foreign Affairs, he facilitated the entry and residence permit for H.E the President of the Republic of Uganda in Austria.
In 1984-2000, Mr. Lanc served as the 2nd Honorary President of the International Handball Federation. During his tenure, he organised urgently needed medical equipment for the treatment of women in Uganda and personally delivered it to Kampala hospital.
Uganda’s history was written in the Austrian village of “Unterolberndorf”, where a secret meeting was held in a small guesthouse to discuss and work out a political program for the liberation of Uganda.
In 1985, the leading figures of the resistance against the bloody dictatorship in Uganda met to make final decisions for the period after the impending conquest of the capital Kampala as well. One of the participants in the meeting was H.E the President of the Republic of Uganda.
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